Caffè Latte
Also latte, café latte
Espresso with a large volume of steamed milk and a little foam, usually in a tall glass or wide bowl cup. It is the mildest and milkiest of the core espresso drinks.
Espresso and milkServed hotFrom Italy
- Volume
- 240ml8.1 US fl oz
- Espresso
- 1shot
- Caffeine
- 64mgderived, USDA FDC
- Coffee to milk
- 1:7.0
The build
Watch it made, step by step- Espresso30 ml13%
- Milk200 ml83%
- Foam10 ml4%
- Volume
- 240ml
- Caffeine
- 64mg
- Espresso
- 1shot
Scales every component together, so the ratio holds; caffeine scales with the coffee.
Roughly 1:4 to 1:6 espresso to milk; the biggest milk drink of the standard espresso family, with only a thin foam layer. Versus a flat white: larger, milkier, more foam.
Caffeine
Derivedin a 240 ml caffè latte
USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy caffeine per 100 g scaled to the coffee volume in components, assuming 1 g per ml. FDC 171891 (Beverages, coffee, brewed, espresso, restaurant-prepared) 212.0 mg/100 g x 30 ml.
USDA FoodData Central record 171891 · read 2026-10-26
A derived figure: the reference food's caffeine per 100 g scaled to the coffee in this build. Real cups vary with the coffee, the dose and the shot.
Variants by country
3| Name | Country | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| café au lait | France | Brewed coffee rather than espresso, with hot milk. |
| café con leche | Spain | Espresso and hot milk in about equal parts. |
| flavoured latte | United States | Syrup added: vanilla, caramel, pumpkin spice and so on. |
History
Popular accountWikidata records Italy as the country of origin and milk and espresso as parts. In Italy a caffè latte is a home breakfast drink; the tall café latte with latte art developed in US West Coast cafés from the 1980s (popular account).
Italian 'caffè e latte', coffee and milk; the café drink in its present form is largely American.
Parts of this story are repeated widely but were not confirmed against a source this atlas accepts. They are kept as the story people tell, not as fact.
Related drinks
Steamed milk in a tall glass with espresso poured through the foam, producing three layers. It is the inverse of the caffè macchiato: milk marked with coffee.
Espresso and milk Caffè Mocha 260 ml · 64 mgA latte with chocolate added, usually as syrup mixed with the espresso before the milk goes in. Toppings of whipped cream or cocoa are common.
Espresso and milk Flat White 165 ml · 127 mgA double espresso with steamed milk textured to a thin microfoam, served in a small cup. It is stronger and less foamy than a latte and smoother than a cappuccino.
Espresso and milk Cappuccino (US size) 355 ml · 127 mgThe American-sized cappuccino: a double shot under a large volume of steamed milk and foam in a 12 oz cup. The distinction from a latte is mostly the thicker foam layer.
Espresso and milk Caramel Macchiato 360 ml · 127 mgA sweet layered drink of vanilla syrup, steamed milk, espresso and caramel drizzle. Despite the name it is built like a latte macchiato, not an Italian macchiato.
Espresso and milk Cappuccino 150 ml · 64 mgEspresso with steamed milk and a cap of dense foam in a small cup. In Italy it is a morning drink of about 150 ml; abroad it has grown into a larger latte-like beverage.